Magic's Play Giving Fans The Headaches

The Sports Column

Nick Anderson has gotten rid of his headache, which is more than Magic fans can say.

The cobwebs of a concussion cleared, Anderson rejoins a Magic team today in Miami that, to the faithful, probably has become the Orlando Migraines.

Last year the Magic, working without a net of experience under them, fell hard in their first playoff appearance. This season, they're struggling just to reach the regular-season finish line, as evident by disturbing fourth-quarter flops against league patsies.

Troubles currently run deeper than Shaquille O'Neal's painful free-throw shot puts, although the fear of giving your leading scorer the ball is a serious problem this deep into the season. And this deep into the franchise's shiny future.

So if you're wondering why coach Brian Hill is always away from his chair at games, it might be that his seat is getting rather uncomfortable. Or warm.

You see, the Magic are promoting worry at the moment. Doubt. Even twinges of dread. Fans can't but help have fearful flashbacks of the postseason sweep last year by the Indiana Pacers.

Suddenly, the Boston Celtics, Orlando's likely opening playoff opponents, don't seem to be such easy prey. They don't look like first-round footwipes anymore for the Magic, who eventually will grab the Eastern Conference's playoff perks in spite of themselves.

Orlando gave the namby-pamby Celtics, among others, all the postseason confidence in the world on Thursday night in losing, 119-114, at Boston Garden.

Boston now has reason to play for more than a lottery draft prize. The Celtics know all they need to do is steal a playoff game at the O-rena, then dig in on their famed parquet floor. The Magic are 2-5 at the Garden in the Shaq Era and 2-6 in the vicinity, counting a game at Hartford, Conn., this season.

And this is against a Celtics team that, at last look, was without Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.

But then the Magic have an alarming habit of bringing out the best in the worst teams and failing to respond. It may be true that they can't get their motivational motors revved for the Detroits and Philadelphias, but they can't simply skip to the second round and ball their fists for, say, Michael Jordan, either.

No one in his right mind - and especially in Las Vegas - believes Orlando will slip against Boston. Except that the Magic - playoff position and clinching numbers aside now - have to begin playing the alert, wide-open game that had them charted for 62, 63 victories.

Hill better hope his team bottomed out against the Celts. Orlando's defense was vulnerable, particularly to penetration by Dee Brown and Sherman Douglas. They again made rally-killing turnovers and allowed the Celts to own the offensive boards. This is how you lose despite shooting 60 percent.

The Magic's dismal free-throw shooting is catching up to them in the fourth quarter, hanging over the playoff drive like a mushroom cloud. Shaq's woes looked as if they affected the whole team in Boston, applying more pressure to each player toeing the line. He has to hit the bull's eye more, because it's too late to change his role as the No. 1 option in the offense.

A club with 55 victories under its waistband shouldn't set itself up for suspicion.

The Magic have lost four of their past six, including 13 of the past 17 on the road. It goes beyond nitpicking, searching for a blemish on Cindy Crawford, as it were.

The Magic sailed through most of this season, free of adversity. They may have developed a front-runner's mentality; they are missing a killer-instinct now. When injuries and illness to Anderson and Penny Hardaway wiped out the backcourt, the Magic lost to the Pistons and 76ers, exposing their fragile team chemistry.

Maybe Anderson's return will repair the break in the chain.

Even with decorated veteran Horace Grant in tow, the youthful Magic are wavering, seemingly lacking a sense of purpose. Where's the mental toughness? It hasn't arrived.

Unfortunately, the playoff grind is largely handled between the ears, which is why the Pacers and Knicks aren't about to tremble against Orlando.